Best Zombie Slayers in History 

OK, so the zombies are rising from the dead and threatening to destroy the world. Is it best to use a chainsaw? Or a baseball bat? Or a cricket bat? If you're as kick-ass as these folks, it probably doesn't matter what you use to kill the undead. We reckon that these are the best zombie slayers in history, with a unique set of skills that will put these undead freaks down for good.

Ash Williams from The Evil Dead

The Evil Dead's Ash is, well, he's a wimp—that is, until he and his pals accidentally awaken the dead and are forced to fight them off in a cabin in the woods that's sometimes scarier than the zombies who are hunting them. In the movie trilogy, Ash just gets better and better at killing these freaks, using everything from guns and chemistry to kitting out his car with rotor blades that cut down anyone who gets in his way. Any guy who willing cuts off his own hand to prevent full infection deserves a place on this list. But any guy who attaches a chainsaw where that hand used to be, deserves to be at the number one spot. Shop smart, shop S-Mart.

Shaun from Shaun of the Dead

You've got red on you. Shaun of the Dead is one of the funniest zombie flicks we've ever seen, but funny doesn't mean you can't kill a few zombies along the way, bashing their dead brains in with cricket bats, snooker cues, and a Winchester rifle. After all, when the undead are surrounding your local pub, what else are you gonna do? What makes Shaun even better is that he;s driven by a desire to protect those he loves; his best friend, his ex-girlfriend, and his mum. Dogs still can't look up though.

Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

She may be better known for slaying the hell out of vampires, but she's also had a fair few run-ins with other demons, including the undead. Sure, she may just be a kid in school, but that doesn't stop her from totally killing it in the slaying stakes, thanks to her immense skills and athleticism—and, of course, a group of friends who can help her out along the way. Oh, and she also had an awesome theme song that seriously gets the blood pumping enough to make you want to cave a demon's head in.

Ben from Night of the Living Dead

George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead created the modern zombie film, and every other zombie movie since defines itself by or against it. And right at the heart of it all is Ben, probably the best zombie slayer in history, thanks to his level-headed, no-nonsense attitude that helps save the lives of those around him. He's handy with a gun, too, which always helps when there are hordes of shuffling zombies making a bee-line for the cabin you're holed up in.

Jill Valentine from Resident Evil

Resident Evil's superstar zombie slayer, both in the game and the movie series, beret-wearing Jill is a tough-as-nails officer with STARS (which is kinda like a police SWAT team but with cooler, if slightly less practical uniforms). That means she can handle herself in a fight and get a headshot with a Beretta when she needs to. She's also the master of unlocking, meaning she can pick locks and get to places other zombie slayers can't—which is helpful when you're stuck inside a vast death-trap mansion with no escape.

Peter from Dawn of the Dead

Dawn of the Dead's Peter plays much the same role as Ben in Night of the Living Dead—no surprise, then, that both films are from the haunted mind of Romero. Peter is a top-class zombie killer who takes his responsibility to protect those around him very seriously. That doesn't mean he can't have fun though, as his "shopping spree"—more of a killing spree—around the abandoned mall shows. By the movie's climax, you're left thinking it's all over for Peter, with a pistol to his head and the zombies closing. But hell no, he's too awesome to quit, and uses his last remaining bullet on the invading zombies, rather than take his own life.

Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead's true hero, Rick Grimes was a cop, back when the police still existed. Now he's part of a small band of survivors who struggle to cope with an unstructured, decaying world and the hordes of zombies seeking out their tasty flesh. All that police training, though, makes Rick perfect not just for slaying the evil undead, but for leading a rag-tag group of people through what's left of society after the zombie apocalypse destroyed, well, everything.

Alice from Resident Evil

We might've already included Jill Valentine, but Resident Evil's Alice is all kinds of cool. Like a lot of other zombie slayers, Alice wakes up to find herself already in the midst of an undead apocalypse (so we can only hope we're asleep when the inevitable occurs, since that's clearly the only way to survive the initial outbreak), and is forced by a not entirely friendly group of mercenaries to help them discover the secrets of a deadite-infested laboratory. No one kicks ass the way Alice does, and over the course of the series she turns from confused innocent bystander to bad-ass zombie slayer extraordinaire dual-wielding handguns.

Gerry Lane from World War Z

When a zombie outbreak crashes through the entire world, who are you gonna call? Well, in World War Z, it's all up to former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane to figure out what's going on and how to top it—while keeping his family safe from literally millions of the undead. He may be a thoughtful sort, but that doesn't mean Gerry can't kill these freaks like the best of them. Although his finest hour comes when he injects himself with a dangerous pathogen that makes the zombies think he's not worth infecting—allowing him to move among them and even fight them without them realizing there's a very alive, very daring slayer in their midst. What a hero!

Cherry Darling

Planet Terror's Cherry Darling is about as far from a killer as you could imagine—and that makes her one of the best zombie slayers in history. She starts out as a frustrated go-go dancer on the hunt for a better a life and to find her lost love. But when zombies attack, she's forced to become the hero she always wanted to be, wielding semi-automatics and slaying just about anything that crosses her path. Because everyone knows, go-go dancers are the most dangerous slayers out there.

Kenneth from Dawn of the Dead

In Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake, the zombies are faster, stronger, and way more ferocious—so it makes sense that the survivors are, too. Topping that list is Kenneth, who befriends a poor guy stuck on the rooftop of a building all on his own, communicating with other survivors via a whiteboard. Because heroes have a heart, you see. He's the one who holds the group of survivors together in spite of the swarms of zombies hankering after their brains. The fact that he knows how to kill zombies is pretty much a bonus to his skills as, you know, a humane human being.

Chris Redfield from Resident Evil

Another face from the Resident Evil series, Chris Redfield is the macho gun-toting weapons expert in of STARS Alpha Team. Sure, his voice actor in the original is pretty ropey, his outfit—not to mention his hair—is achingly 90s and he's not the brightest color in the paint box, but he's got it where it counts. By which we mean, he knows how to off a zombie and save his friends in the most efficient way possible.

These are easily the best zombie slayers in history. If we could, we'd have all them fighting together, because frankly, the undead wouldn't stand a chance of infecting any of us with these bad-asses by our side. Which is your favorite? And who would you choose as a partner when the zombie outbreak happens? And it is coming—we all know it. All we can do is prepare ourselves.